Günther Steiner believes Valtteri Bottas has “given up a little” during Cadillac’s difficult debut Formula 1 season and says the Finn would be the driver most likely to lose his seat if the American team decides to change its line-up. The former Haas team principal believes Sergio Perez is currently performing better and continues to push harder despite Cadillac’s lack of competitiveness.
Valtteri Bottas returned to Formula 1 this year alongside Sergio Perez as Cadillac opted for an extremely experienced driver pairing for its first season in the championship. For a new team needing reliable feedback and guidance as it builds its F1 operation, the decision was understandable. In longer-term terms, however, pairing two of the grid’s oldest drivers was never necessarily going to represent Cadillac’s future.
Günther Steiner questions Valtteri Bottas at Cadillac
Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez are respectively the fourth and fifth-oldest drivers on the Formula 1 grid, behind Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Hülkenberg. Those three continue to compete with considerable motivation, while Lewis Hamilton is also producing stronger results than 12 months ago.
For Cadillac’s drivers, and particularly Valtteri Bottas, Günther Steiner sees the situation differently. Speaking on The Red Flags Podcast, the former Haas boss argued that the Finn has not shown the same determination as Sergio Perez during the team’s difficult opening campaign.
“Checo is still giving everything he has with what he’s got, and Valtteri partly does as well. Perez is simply better than him at the moment: he’s trying to do something, while Bottas looks like he has given up a little,” Günther Steiner said.
“If Cadillac had to change one driver, they would change Valtteri.”
Neither Cadillac driver has yet scored in 2026, leaving both towards the bottom of the Formula 1 driver standings. However, Günther Steiner believes the way Sergio Perez continues to attack the challenge separates him from his team-mate.
Steiner believes Bottas expected more from Cadillac
Günther Steiner also suggested that Valtteri Bottas may have expected a very different experience when he chose to return to full-time racing after spending 2025 as Mercedes’ reserve driver.
“His results aren’t that good. I think Valtteri expected something different. Maybe he’s thinking that being the reserve driver at Mercedes was a good job, and that it isn’t worth putting in all this effort just to finish last.”
The judgement is particularly severe because Cadillac deliberately chose experience when constructing its first Formula 1 driver line-up. Valtteri Bottas brought years of knowledge from Williams, Mercedes and Sauber, while Sergio Perez arrived after his own long career and four seasons alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull.
Sergio Perez has recently explained how working alongside Max Verstappen helped him become a faster and more complete driver, particularly through the Dutchman’s relentless approach to technical development and leadership.
Cadillac could eventually look towards younger drivers
At present, Valtteri Bottas appears to face more questions over his long-term place at Cadillac. The American team is also looking at considerably younger profiles for the future, including Rafael Câmara and Leonardo Fornaroli.
Valtteri Bottas has found more one-lap speed over the last three race weekends, but Sergio Perez has beaten him in three of the four Grands Prix in which both Cadillac drivers have reached the chequered flag. The Mexican also came close to scoring Cadillac’s historic first Formula 1 point in Monaco.
Günther Steiner’s comments do not mean Cadillac has decided to replace Valtteri Bottas. His view is that improving the car remains the team’s primary task, but if Cadillac eventually concludes that a driver change is required, he believes the Finn would be more vulnerable than Sergio Perez.
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